Helicopter Crash In Snowdonia: Rescuers Resume Recovery Of Bodies Of Five Family Members

Kevin and Ruth Burke feared to be among the victims.

The recovery of the bodies of five members of the same family who died when their helicopter crashed in Snowdonia is expected to resume on Friday morning.

Feared to be among the dead are Kevin and Ruth Burke, a couple from Hulcote near Milton Keynes.

North Wales Police said the victims were all adults and members of the “same extended family” from the Milton Keynes area.

Their bodies were found with the wreckage of the helicopter in the Rhinog mountains near Trawsfynydd on Thursday.

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Kevin and Ruth Burke are feared to be among the five victims who are all members of the same family

A major search, launched on Wednesday afternoon when the privately owned Twin Squirrel aircraft failed to arrive in Dublin, had been suspended overnight due to “worsening” weather and “difficult and treacherous” terrain, police said.

An investigation led by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is under way.

Superintendent Gareth Evans, of North Wales Police, said: “Owing to the nature and remoteness of the terrain, the poor weather conditions and the absolute need to carry out this delicate task with sensitivity and dignity, this may take some time.

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“This is a very difficult, challenging and hazardous operation but I’d like to reassure the families of the deceased and local communities that, together with the AAIB and our mountain rescue teams, and weather permitting, we will continue to work as long as it takes until they are all recovered, and to this end I’d like to repeat my thanks to all those personnel involved for their professionalism and commitment.”

The victims have not been formally identified but their families are being supported by specialist officers from Thames Valley Police.

Neighbour Elizabeth Thornley, who said the couple “keep to themselves”, told the Press Association she saw a lot of cars near the house on Thursday morning.

The 24-year-old said: “Then one of the neighbours said, ‘Have you heard about the crash, the helicopter crash?’ I thought it had crashed into a horse’s paddock, but they said no, Kevin’s had crashed.”

On what is thought to be her Facebook profile, Ruth Burke says she is originally from Dublin, the city which should have been the final destination of the helicopter.

The profile was updated late on Thursday to read “Remembering Ruth Burke” and a message from Facebook said: “We hope people who love Ruth will find comfort in visiting her profile to remember and celebrate her life."

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RAF mountain rescue service vehicles on a road near Trawsfynydd in the Snowdonia mountain range in north Wales where the wreckage was discovered

One Hulcote resident, who did not give his name, said Kevin Burke was originally from Manchester, was a pilot, and had a 14-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter.

Another neighbour, Richard Mann, said he and Kevin had previously been Hulcote and Salford parish councillors.

He said: “Kevin, I think, is a very astute businessman, outgoing, hail-fellow-well-met, always seemed very cheery.”

Evans said the exact location of the crash site was not being revealed to allow recovery of the bodies.

A temporary exclusion zone over the crash site, to a height of 5,500ft above sea level and a five nautical mile radius, is in place.

An Airbus Helicopters spokesman told the Press Association: “Airbus Helicopters regrets to inform that it has received reports of a fatal AS355 accident in North Wales.

“As an Airbus Helicopter aircraft commonly known as a Twin Squirrel, the company is standing by to provide support as required and our thoughts are with the victims of the accident and their families.”